School Hoidays

[funkychick]

Should parents be allowed to take their kids out of school for holidays? I do totally understand it may be difficult if you have two or three children with the price of holidays going up considerable in school holiday time BUT if everyone did this the school may as well close you CANNOT all be taking children out at different times of the year I know many parents who are happy to pay the fine as it still works out cheaper

I personally think its very irresponsible of parents what do you think?

[frankiesays]

Many parents working and wanting holidays when the children are off are finding it nigh on impossible to get one or two of those six weeks on to the holiday planner before their colleagues beat them to it. This means at companies where it is important to keep cover, many parents are faced with the choice of no holiday or take off two school weeks instead. Whilst I agree that children should not miss school days I also think they should get a holiday. There needs to be a more flexible method. The school's thinking also seems to go out of the window when strikes @nd traini.g is involved. Perhaps the teachers could consider taking their training days in their summer holidays?

[East Point]

If these holiday firms didn't make their holidays so much more expensive during the school summer holiday, also at Whitsun, there wouldn't be this problem.

[funkychick]

I totally agree EP and surely there could be more pressure put on them

[East Point]

Yes, I too think something should be done about it funkychick. They are ripping people off.

[frankiesays]

The holiday company would probably say that they would like to charge the summer price all year but have to reduce prices during term time due to the drop in demand. You can get a good cheap holiday in Scotland in the last half of August because their children have already gone back by then.

[Suffolkboy]

Why is it a necessity to have holidays abroad during term time or school holiday time? Surely a child's education should be a priority which is the responsibility of the parents and therefore in my opinion holidays should be taken during school holiday time. It is a fact of life that market forces dictate the increase in holiday prices when taken during school holiday times,seems common sense to me,a glut of customers then the prices increase. Our holiday trips abroad were taken during school holidays,Townsend & Thoresen Ferries to france,then driving all over Europe in an old Vauxhall Cavalier,tent and all the camping gear with much strapped to the roof rack. The kids thought it great,we cooked our own food,bought ice creams from the supermarkets and generally used common sense just like you do when shopping in the UK. The camping holidays abroad lasted from the time they were 6 years old till they left school,this was the time they decided they would holiday without Mum and Dad which then allowed us to fly abroad on our own. These holidays were all we could afford at the time and when I look back my girls had a good knowledge of geography due to us visiting the many countries on our travels.They learnt a little French,German,Swiss,Italian and Dutch.
If you wish to take expensive holidays abroad then you have to pay the increased prices during School holiday time thats the system,unless Ed Milliband offers holiday vouchers to those who holiday during the School holiday time.Could get a few more votes.

[funkychick]

Well I agree with a lot you are saying SB I think todays expectations outweigh normality Not everyone can have BIG holidays in school life My kids only ever had holidays with relations or as they got a bit older and my situation a bit easier then camping holidays mostly in UK but a lovely one in Holland we had two arrow boat holidays (now they are unaffordable) I saved up and each child had one school holiday to Switzerland, now some school holidays go to far flung places like China. Both of my grandkids living here have been on one primary school holiday in UK and they are over £300 for 5 days a couple of counties away. Their Mum has taken them to France and Spain and UK camping and has never holidayed out of school time my youngest daughter takes the other point of view and will take her kids out of school for holidays that suit them which I totally disagree with. I think my two grandkids here are probably the only ones in their classes who haven't been to Disneyland they are soooo deprived

[Suffolkboy]

I think todays expectations outweigh normality Not everyone can have BIG holidays in school life

I think you have summed it up very well with the above statement FC. We are of a generation that worked and paid for lifes little luxuries,seems todays generation puts the emphasis on the must haves and not enough emphasis on what is necessary.